Local (Ghana)

Eating leafy greens may stave off memory loss: study

Eating one serving of leafy greens per
day may stave off memory loss in old age and keep the brain more
youthful, according to research published Wednesday.

The difference found between elderly people who ate greens and those
who did not was stunning: the equivalent of being 11 years younger in
age, said the study in the journal Neurology.

While the research was based on survey responses and therefore fell
short of proving cause and effect, researchers said it offers further
evidence of the association between healthy eating and healthy aging.

"Adding a daily serving of green, leafy vegetables to your diet may
be a simple way to foster your brain health," said study author Martha
Clare Morris of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The study tracked 960 people with an average age of 81, and followed
them for an average of nearly five years. None had dementia upon
entering the study.

Participants completed questionnaires that asked how often they ate
certain foods, including spinach, kale, collard greens and lettuce. They
also had their thinking and memory skills tested once a year.

People who ate the most greens averaged about 1.3 servings per day.
Those on the opposite end of the spectrum ate 0.1 servings per day. A
serving is about a half cup, cooked.

These results persisted even after researchers accounted for factors
like smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, education level and mental
and physical exercise.

"These observations are consistent with a broader body of evidence
suggesting that people adhering to a Mediterranean diet may reduce their
risk of dementia," said David Llewellyn, senior research fellow in
clinical epidemiology at the University of Exeter, in England, who was
not involved in the study.

One key aspect of the so-called Mediterranean diet is consuming plant-based foods, while limiting the intake of red meat.

James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society in London,
pointed out that "the researchers did not directly look at dementia, so
we cannot say that it would delay or prevent the onset of the
condition.

"However, older people who ate one or two servings of Vitamin K-rich
food per day performed better on memory tests than those who didn't," he
added.

"A healthy diet rich in essential nutrients, combined with regular
exercise and avoiding smoking, can help to reduce your risk of
developing dementia."